Automated Testing 101 A Beginner's Guide to Test Automation image

Automated Testing 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Test Automation

Test automation is quickly becoming essential for software teams to deliver high-quality applications at speed. This beginner’s guide will walk you through the key concepts of test automation and equip you with the knowledge to get started automating your tests.

What is Test Automation?

Test automation refers to using tools and frameworks to execute repeatable tests on a software application. Instead of having QA engineers manually test features, automated tests can simulate user actions and validate that code is functioning as expected.

Benefits of test automation include:

  • Faster testing cycles and feedback
  • Consistent and reliable regressions testing
  • Scaling test coverage
  • Allowing engineers to focus on complex test cases

 

Types of Testing That Can Be Automated

Many testing types can benefit from automation:

  • Unit Testing – Testing individual code components and objects
  • API Testing – Testing application programming interfaces
  • Integration Testing – Testing communication between components
  • Functional Testing – Testing user workflows and features
  • Regression Testing – Re-running test suites after changes

 

The Automation Pyramid

Following the automation pyramid allows you to optimize your test coverage for speed and reliability:

  • Prioritize unit and integration tests at the bottom layer
  • Supplement with API and functional tests in the middle layer
  • Minimize complex end-to-end UI tests at the top layer

 

Popular Test Automation Tools

Some examples of popular tools:

  • Unit Testing – JUnit, NUnit, Google Test
  • Functional Testing – Selenium, Appium, Cucumber, Cypress.io, Playwright
  • API Testing – Postman, REST Assured
  • Test Management – TestRail, qTest, TestLink

Consider language, tech stack, and budget when selecting tools.

Designing Automated Test Cases

Effective test cases for automation should follow the I.N.V.E.S.T. principles:

  • Independent from each other
  • Necessary to cover critical use cases
  • Valuable in detecting bugs
  • Estimable – easy to implement
  • Small – test one thing
  • Testable – avoid external dependencies

 

Writing Automated Test Scripts

Scripts should:

  • Populate test data
  • Initiate actions (click buttons, submit forms etc.)
  • Validate expected outcomes
  • Use asserts to verify results
  • Minimise hard-coded values

 

Executing Automated Tests

  • Tests can be run via test runners like JUnit or custom frameworks.
  • Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines.
  • Generate reports to surface insights and failures.

 

Handling Test Maintenance

  • Expect to refactor tests as the application changes.
  • Transition to newer frameworks as needed.
  • Break tests down and isolate dependencies to limit brittleness.

 

Getting Started with Test Automation

Ready to write your first automated test? Check out this beginner Selenium Java tutorial to get hands-on practice.

Additional resources:

Test automation unlocks huge benefits for development teams. This beginner’s guide summarizes the key concepts and pathways to get started. As you gain more experience, consider intermediate topics like test design patterns, data-driven testing, and more.

Author

The CTO Journal